Open your eyes
by Justanotherspider
Summary: When times have changed so drastically that once proud demons are forced to consume waste leftover from humans,or starve.when they face death on a daily basis,and not in the noble battles they once had. When the battle itself is keeping the will to live. What will Sesshoumaru and Kouga do when time is running out and hope running low? they'll bump into Kagome,of course.
1. the alley

Re-writing my First few chapters,seeing as fanfiction went all "nom nom,I'ma eat your story...or at the least eat big chunks of your story." So..new Improved,and I hope you enjoy reading this,Which,if you are reading this,it means I've written and posted chapter 4(or 5,depending on my re-write.) ANd sorry for the delay everyone,but..I'm back. It takes a little more than a rolled up newspaper to take this spider out! ;)

* * *

As the sun began to set and the city streets became cold and dangerous,they came out. The old gods of a former life,the rulers of all the lands now claimed by humans. The beings who were now,through no fault of their own,forced into assuming the shape of their domestic counter-parts,Those that didn't had two choices,live in the shadows as the homeless, looked down upon by the majority of the cruel society they lived in,or die. And,in having such choices,Once proud beings such as Sesshoumaru, were now reduced to almost mentally incapable creatures who lived on discarded food,and didn't trust the humans who ran even the smallest soup kitchens...

In a dark alley a short while after Midnight,Kouga was caught up in thoughts on his former life as a leader,And the many changes that came about since that time so long five hundred years had passed him by,And as he watched the once proud western lord scrounge through a foul-smelling and dirty garbage can in a desperate search for anything resembling food,He began to wonder just where this shift in power had occurred. was it because his kind had underestimated the humans,and their growing knowledge of weaponry? Or perhaps they had just overlooked anything at all that the weaker species had accomplished,Merely passing it off as something that could never touch twirled a dirt brown dreadlock between a no longer clawed thumb and forefinger;And glanced at The former Lord of the west once silver hair,stained a dirty blonde from years of street living,Was dragging through mud that,were the inu-youkai lucky for once,was the product of rainwater and dirt,instead of the many liquids the Ookami could think of.

He sighed in a defeated way when Sesshoumaru had made a rasping yip in victory and brought him half a piece of what looked like it had once been bread,Breaking it in half again to share it with his two canine companions.

Ginta,and Hakkaku. Oh how he wished they had just gone off on their own,instead of taking this option;When the choice had come down to leaving their beloved leader and brother,or turning into mere animals and following him still,they had chosen the latter. Kouga's chest clenched painfully at the thought,And he found himself wishing quite often that there were more he could do for his now mis-matched pack,But changing times had not allowed for it. The humans technology had ,once begun,advanced so fast and so far that the youkai of the world couldn't catch up with to top it all off,the further the technology advanced,the further into the shadows his kind were pushed,swept under the rug,and considered myth. And with this less than pleasant developement,Came a related complication. the less the humans believed in them,The weaker they tail had vanished years ago,as had his assumed Sesshoumarus pointed ears,And poison claws went much the same way.

And now...here they were. Present day,Sharing moldy bread,while wearing rags and various bits of trash. Oh how the mighty had fallen. The only hope still held by the Ookami,was the slim chance of the new Shelter being ran by someone who understood. Someone who wouldn't try to "send their poor tired souls to a better place." He couldn't count how many times he'd been poisoned or beat,along with Ginta and Hakakku at various only thing he was really thankful for-while he still had it was his seemingly demonic was the only thing that had kept him alive to this point, And from what he could get from the few and far between conversations with Sesshoumaru,the same was true to him.

Kouga bit into the moldy crust of bread the former Daiyoukai had handed him and did his best impersonation of a made him sick to think that he was this low on the food Sesshoumaru,well he really did get physically ill when he was reunited with the once proud lord of the western lands who had travelled with his half-brother Inu-yasha at the time. He mentally sighed. Inu -yasha. muttfaced bastard,why did you have to go and leave us? he ran his fingers through his dreadlocks as he thought of the Hanyou. He had died last winter,froze to death it Kouga honestly thought that perhaps Inu-yasha had finally just given up and allowed the cold embrace of death to take him was just like the rest of them,No home,no blankets,no unfortunately,no will to keep himself alive.

Kouga grunted as his hand got tangled in his hair,He'd lost himself so thoroughly in thought he hadn't noticed his fingers get ,Sesshoumaru made his trapped finger seem less important as his wheezing cough began to echo through the only had the cough a week,but it was getting worse by the day. It seemed the once Stoic ice prince had finally lost his famed will.

In a final desperate attempt to Distract himself from his thoughts,Kouga finally freed his finger from the unruly mass of dreads,and looked across the street.

Shirayuri Shelter. The old building. The last spark of hope.

* * *

At five thirty in the morning a young woman pulled her older car up to the building that would house the Shirayuri Shelter;And began unloading boxes of food,clothing and final few boxes for the moment,As it was less than a week before the shelter would open and she would finally be able to begin relaxing,knowing she was doing good in the world once again.

After Kagome had taken the last box upstairs,she closed the trunk of her against it and scanning the area she was in. That's when her eyes fell upon the alley across the street,and the men sleeping in ,Kagome wasn't knew it was dangerous to approach strange knew it from first hand experience,gained from her own when she saw these two,She felt an odd twinge of emotion deep within almost like something long forgotten prodding at her mind,and wanting her to remember. that is how Kagome knew she had to help them,Right now;Days before the shelter opened.

Kagome took a deep breath and worked her nerves up,taking another glance across the street before crossing. As she got closer,she could see details of the men,She wanted to cry as she saw one man lying on the ground asleep,huddled close to a couple of wolf mix long brown hair was looked nearly starved,And she could clearly see his ribs. He wasn't wearing a shirt only a thin patched up pair of what used to be jeans,that were held to his emaciated frame by some sort of rope or twine. His companion was using his dreadlocks as a pillow,his own hair dirty blonde and so long it looked like it had never been cut. He was wearing a trash bag,and a pair of dirty shorts that hung loose on what she could tell was a tall frame,even though he was lying down.A memory flashed through her mind briefly but she shook her head and ignored it.

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she looked back to the building that had taken her years to had written essays,Saved every penny she earned or found;And Applied for grant after grant and had even gained financial backing from a small corporation here in japan to finally get this one last dream in life. She smiled and returned to the task at hand. She wasnt officially open for another five days,but...these two needed her she'd never turn away someone in need.

As she looked back to the alley,she could see the two sleeping figures were the only ones only hoped they wouldn't assume she was like most of the others in this city.

people just didn't want believe that there were really any good honest beings left in the world. Which,she thought at times,that maybe they were right. Sighing she pulled her black hair into a pony tail and walked the rest of the way to the men slowly,watching curiously as the dogs woke up and began yipping and wagging their tails as they sniffed the air around them,before running towards her.

At the sound of his wolves yipping excitedly,Kouga awoke,Nudging Sesshoumaru and sitting up,wondering what was going hadn't heard Ginta and Hakakku sound that happy in years. He looked the direction they had run,and there a few feet from him stood a woman with long black hair,And a smile he would never was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating when he saw only breath he took was one that whispered "Kagome?" before he rubbed his eyes and looked to Sesshoumaru as if he could give him the answer to what was going on. The western lord merely shrugged,and looked on in hadn't noticed anything about the girl yet.

Kouga had expected many things upon waking;An angry business owner telling him to move along,people kicking him and telling him to get a job,hell he would have expected santa and the easter bunny to come and wake them both to offer free teeth cleaning before he would even consider this as here they were,and there she wondered for a moment if it was really her,and if she would recognize them. But that question answered its self as she got closer and began to speak.

"Uhm...Excuse me,Guys?..I'm in charge of opening the shelter across the street and even though it's not quite open yet i was wondering if.." Her breath caught in her throat at that moment,and her next word replaced by a gasp as the man with dirty blonde hair turned towards her,His dull,pain filled amber eyes nowhere near what she remembered,but the face the same.

"..Se..Sess...Sesshoumaru?!" she was blinking back tears,wondering what kind of cruel joke fate was playing on her this time,when she heard the raspy ghost of a voice she knew from long only said one word,but that was all she needed.

"Miko." his tone sounded hopeful almost,and she launched herself at him without thinking,wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace,before pulling back suddenly,remembering his condition,and that he would probably kill her when he regained his strength.

But she didn't feel the poison claws rip through her skin,and his eyes didn't show he just looked slightly disappointed that she had let him go.

awoke slowly and nudged Sesshomaru, waking him with a start as During this odd show,Kougas heart was doing an odd little dance in his chest,he wanted nothing but to grab her,hug her tight and never let her go,however,he didn't want her to see him like wanted her to remember the strong, cocky wolf prince that had longed for her attention some 500 years ago. Not this broken down ..thing he was contemplating sneaking out of the alley,but a shrill cry of "KOUGA!" and a hug followed by sobs had stopped his plans cold in their tracks. He clenched his eyes closed as she looked at his face. A trembling voice asking him for one thing.

"Kouga...Open your eyes."

He slowly relaxed his eyes and opened them,revealing the now pale blue color they seemed to get slightly brighter as she looked at was a small spark of hope left in his gaze. A smile spread across Kagomes face as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

He suddenly felt like begging her for forgiveness,for letting himself get to the level he was at,but he wasn't sure why. A dam seemed to break in him and he embraced her tightly,his own sobs tearing through him as he finally let loose so many years worth of cried out of sadness,out of helplessness,out of when she stood,he thought he was going to she,his last hope,was going to walk away from him;But instead,she offered him a hand,Which he gladly accepted. when he was standing on his own feet,she moved to Sesshomaru and placed a hand on his shoulder before offering a hand to him,which he eagerly held onto as she helped him up.

Her next few words were the beginning of things starting to lookup for them,and the small spark of hope began to burn in even Sesshomarus eyes as Kagome spoke.

"Let's get you guys some food and clothes,maybe a we can figure out where to put you,figure something out for living arrangements."

Kouga grinned so wide it seemed to hurt his face,while Sesshoumaru smiled weakly and nodded,Following the one time Miko his brother had dragged throughout feudal japan. Maybe he would survive this time period after all.


	2. the building

Alrighty,Chapter 2, re-written. hopefully fixed and not murder on the eyes. I should say this, I do not own Inu-yasha,Sesshoumaru,Kouga or anything that has to do with Inu-yasha. (obviously) :p I am just a lowly spider, torturing the characters for my own reasons. :)

Enjoy!

-Spider

.x2x.

Though Kagome was trying to keep up the cheerful demeanor and atleast idly chat with them, she was having quite the time of it.

Her mind just would'nt be quiet on one issue, and as the odd little group made it's way across the street, Kagome was quickly becoming lost in her thoughts.

she just did'nt understand how the two following her were once the prince of the east, and the lord of the west.

Well,maybe she could picture Kouga being in this position, but not Sesshoumaru.

If she were honest with herself, she had figured if Kouga had lived this long, he would have been a little more "free spirited" as some of her friends would say.

Perhaps even have started his own, ..what was it Eri had told her about once?..oh..yeah. Maybe he would have started his own hippie commune.

It would have made sense,Considering he was a wolf demon and had his pack to take care of.

so, just maybe it was'nt a stretch for her mind when it came to him.

Sesshoumaru, though, was a completely different story.

On nights when it was too cold to sleep she would lay awake,thinking About how well off he must be in this time.

Kagome had no doubts he had lived to her time, and had in fact become a powerful business man.

so seeing him like this, was just something she could'nt wrap her head around.

He was Sesshoumaru.

Lord of the west.

A being so powerful, that if he told you not to breathe, you would immediately do two things.

the first, being soil yourself, and the second would be putting a stop to that pesky breathing that bothered him so.

Kagome was holding back tears as she looked at the two of them from the corner of her eyes.

She nearly sobbed when Sesshoumaru stumbled over the curb in front of her building.

and she held back the urge to whimper when she heard him coughing shortly after.

It was'nt a good sound, that cough.

She knew it too well from previous experiences.

It was more of a death rattle then a cough.  
just how did he get like this?

at the very least she thought jaken would have taken better care of him.

Her eyes widened, wait ,where was jaken?

Had he left Sesshoumaru alone?

had he finally had enough of the formerly titled "Ice Prince"?

She stopped in front of the door,staring at her keys for a moment,

before turning around,walking to Sesshoumaru and giving him a quick hug.

He could kill her later, but she thought he could use that now.

she looked toward Kouga and did the same thing then opened the door, revealing the lobby of the building Shirayuri was going to be in.

She was proud of the place,picked the colors, painted, and did most of the work on this building herself.

She smiled as she saw Kouga and Sesshoumaru looking around, any minute now, she thought...

"KAGOME!"

Kouga had squealed like a girl,he had found the mural of the waterfall beside his den she had painted.

it was so detailed, so beautiful.

his spine was tingling as hee ran to her and picked her up,surprising everyone present with his sudden display of strength.

"You remembered it...You remembered it and you had someone paint it for you!" He was mumbling while nuzzling her hair.

"Kouga, woah, slowdown." She giggled slightly as a smile came to her face

"I did'nt have someone paint it for me..I " She began to say,before quickly being cut off by his curiousity.

"Then what..?" he gestured to the large wall the painting took up.

"I painted it myself." there was a hint of pride in her voice with that statement.

Kouga set her down after a moment, tears glistening in his eyes.

"I'm just glad you remembered."

While watching the odd display the two were making, Sesshoumaru had wandered over to yet another wall, this one holding a large,three canvas paint that started with an off white,with yellow and dark blue stripes,and led into red hexagonal patterns with cherry blossoms.

his eyes widened. this miko had his crest,as well as his colors,in larger than life detail,hanging on the wall.

"Miko." He said quietly,trying to avoid a coughing fit.

Her head popped up from the other side of Kouga,who still seemed to dwarf her. had she gained any height since he had last seen her? he did'nt think so.

"Yes,Sesshoumaru?"

"Where did you Acquire this painting?"

"Did it myself, same as most of the others."

She grinned,and gestured for him to follow as she turned back to kouga, and began showing off the rest of the artwork on the walls.

some she had painted,others that had been donated,there were many nature scenes,a painting of the jewel,and a few paintings of foxes,wolves and other wildlife adorning random spots on the walls.

they seemed to be very well done from what he could he wasn't paying too much attention.

his forehead seemed to have gained an itch,that was not letting up no matter how hard he scratched it.

between that and the cough,he was not having such a wonderful day,and though he could'nt really complain with how things turned out,he was really wanting to for some reason.

how odd.

As he followed the miko and wolf, and mused about the painting of his crest, he noticed the furniture for the first time, and though it pained him to remember such things, smiled as he saw the orange and white checker pattern on the couches and chairs.

His mind drifted to the little girl that had followed him so proudly for so long.

Seeing the throw pillows that seemd to be the same red of Inu-yasha's fire rat robes did'nt help.

The once proud lord of the west was on his knees,a strangled whimper straining his throat into a coughing fit.

as he remembered things best left to the past.

when Kagome first heard the noise, she was confused, but when she had seen it's source, she was saddened more than anything.

remembering the day she had found the couches and chairs in that certain pattern,she was happy.

they had reminded her of Rin,And even though she did'nt know the little girl, she liked her very much, she seemed like such a sweet child.

Kagome had purchased these, because they were yet another reminder of her past. She never believed she would run into Sesshoumaru in this time, so she had never thought of what his reaction would be.

turns out it was heart wrenching for both of them.

Before anyone could really blink, Kagome was on her knees beside Sesshoumaru, her arms wrapped around him as his weakened body trembled under the effort of his sobbing.

he held it in too long,not even the wolf knew of what happened when Rin had come of age to marry.

he never told a soul,and had suffered this entire time... perhaps later... perhaps at later time he would let this little miko in on it...

or, he may just take to writing again, and put all the gory details into short story.

he was'nt very sure of anything as he sat there on the floor, with a strange, yet familiar miko holding him tightly.

when the sobs died down and the coughing was to a minimum, he took a couple deep breaths, wiped his eyes on his arm and rose to his feet again.

Kagome could only watch from her spot on the floor; as the once cold demon known as Sesshoumaru did'nt even try to hide his emotions.

he merely gave her a weak smile and offered a hand up.

once she was again standing,she said something that made the demon lords chest ache.

"I've been alone all this time too. it hurts less now that you two are around, but it does'nt change what's happened."

She gave him a small smile, and walked back over to Kouga, motioning for them both to to follow, and acting like she had'nt said a thing.

"We'll be taking the stairs,hope you guys are alright with that." she said glancing at the two to determine if they were physically able. she was fairly positive they could.

"The elevator only goes up to the second floor, with good reason. I live on the third, and that is also where the store rooms, along with a couple empty rooms are. This building used to be a hotel.I figured it would make a perfect shelter."

she smiled to them as she unlocked the door to the stariwell, and began her trek up the stairs, talking the entire way. to distract them or herself, she did'nt know.

"First off, i figure we can get you some clean clothes, then you guys can pick a room, and take a shower..from there we'll get some food, and discuss bedding arrangements and so on.I was thinking maybe you guys would like to help run the shelter."

Kouga decided now was a good time to speak up. "I would love to help Kagome, but would the owner be okay with that? i mean i'm not sure who this owner is but..."

She cut him off with a laugh. "Kouga, i'm fine with it."

"But the owner won't get mad at you will they, I mean they don't know us..."

Kagome stopped and shook her head, while Sesshoumaru stared at the wolf with slight amusement.

"What?" He looked between the two. "Kagome? ... "

"Wolf,I believe what the Miko is saying is that she is the owner."

Kouga only made a face,and began mocking Sesshoumaru in a girly voice.

"this Sesshoumaru believes that the miko is saying blah blah blah."

Sesshoumaru glared at him, even though he was slightly amused by his antics.

"Wolf,this Sesshoumaru may not be at full strength, or anywhere near, but you can still be pushed down the stairs."

Kagome just stood there giggling at the two before making her way up the final few steps to yet another locked door.

.xEnd Chapterx.

Annnd thank you all for reading! ^_^


	3. the story

Sorry for the delay. Writers block,four kittens and a five year old are not a very good combo. Add that to beign on call for work,and well...I'm surprised I am updating this right now! Now couple things i need to say. to everyone who reviewed,OHMYSESS!THANK YOUUU! ^_^ I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :) and second..I do not own Inu-yasha. I only own the torture i put these characters through.  
oh,and oen more thing... THE FEELS! ALL OF THEM! i'm a big ball of emotion from writing this. you have been warned. ;-;

This spider thanks you.

Now,Onward!

.x3x.

After letting everyone into her apartment and giving them the grand tour; that consisted of A large living room area,a slightly smaller kitchen, a shared bathroom and two separate bedrooms -that didn't include her own- that she had just in case her family was ever in need, though she knew they wouldn't ever be, since they were staying with a couple of the better off of the Higurashi cousins.

Once the tour was over, she left them sitting in her living room and started packing in boxes from her personal storage; After her second trip though, they had gotten up and began to help.

All went smooth until they reached the last box, that was antique carved wood.

It was also roughly the size of a piano, though not as tall; and had triple locks on it.

Kagome huffed as she looked at it,before speaking.

"Well, looks like that is all we can do for tonight.I'll have to call for the movers tomorrow so we can open this it will have something of value in it."

Kouga and Sesshoumaru exchanged glances,before They stepped forward ignoring her and began looking more closely at it.

they pushed, pulled and it was rather heavy and neither could lift it, though after a brief question regarding the location of bed sheets, Kouga retrieved a few, and helped Sesshoumaru braid them together,before wrapping the braid around the giant object.

Two hours,an insult or two and a few pulled or strained muscles later, the giant box was sitting in the middle of Kagome living room, acting as a coffee table.

Kouga was the first to regain his breath and the first to speak.

"So,Kagome,you got keys for this thing?"

She looked at him for a second and nodded, then scurried off returning with a large key ring.

"Yeah,they are somewhere on here,though i am not sure they work anymore...and also..."

She trailed off, trying to remember what her grandfather had told her.

Something about solving a puzzle or riddle before she could open it, and needing help with it even then.

She frowned.

"my grandfather told me, that i had to solve a riddle and have help to open it. he had also told me the riddle at one time, but i can't really remember it."

"Well,what are you going to do with it then?" Asked Kouga as he ran his fingertips along the dark wood of the box.

"I'm not really sure, I suppose I could call the locksmith again..bu-" She trailed off,watching as the box began to faintly glow green. "Kouga,stop touching it!"

He looked confused,but jumped when he noticed the slight glow it had. the greenish color wasn't fading,but growing stronger.

Kagome,in her curiosity moved towards it, even though as she moved the mask incident with inu-yasha popped into her mind. and though she questioned her sanity briefly, she still moved towards it until she was right next to Kouga.

She looked at him before copying his moves from moments ago.

A pink glow joined the green.

they exchanged confused looks and both began to run their fingers over it only getting it to glow brighter.

Sesshoumaru had finally gathered up enough curiosity to move closer to them, and a sharp cracking noise was heard, as well as a shriek from the box.

All present scrambled backwards and decided to back off until they could learn more about the mysterious box before them.

Upon that decision, they began going through other boxes that Kagome told them they could pick clothing from,while she went to make them food.

Kagome was thinking it was an interesting day so far, and she somehow knew her life was taking an odd turn that she wasn't really ready for.

But she pushed all thoughts aside,as she heard the men taking turns in the shower,after having found their clothing apparently.

Another two hours had passed and the trio sitting on the couch was an odd sight indeed; Kouga had settled into wearing hakama and a t-shirt in monochrome shades,and the same went for Sesshoumaru, they looked stuck somewhere between past and present as they sat there talking about past experiences,Stomachs full, and drinking tea.

they spoke of nothing too deep,just light airy experiences with the occasional Kagome got kidnapped story from one of the demons,and a small chuckle about Kouga never giving up here and there, But eventually Inu-yasha was mentioned and a sorrowful silence fell over the two demons.

To their knowledge Kagome didn't know how Inu-yasha met his end.

and they weren't sure how to tell her,or even if they wanted to.

But Kagome was far more perceptive than they had realized and quickly dismissed such thoughts,simply by stating the truth.

"I know he's gone. and I know how."

It was barely a whisper,but it held their attention. perhaps even better than if she had screamed it.

they sat only staring and unable to speak as she told them the story of his last day.

"He was with me for most of that day,being his usual over-protective self."

she smiled as she recalled.

"turns out it was the best and worst day I had while I was living on the spent the day together,wandering through parks,asking for spare change."

She took a deep breath and her smile faltered for a moment.

"by the end of the day,he had made more change then i had, but it didn't really matter.  
we pooled our cash, and found a small inexpensive place to get ramen. we shared an order, but he let me have most of it."

Swallowing hard,Kagome struggled with her emotions and barely choked out the next sentence.

"I..He.." She coughed and looked at her feet. "I walked him back to where he usually slept,and..he just...he looked so tired...so worn out." tears had begun rolling down her cheeks,but she tried to keep the smile in place.

"He sat down and leaned against a wall,then motioned for me to sit with him... I went over to him, and was surprised at first, when he grabbed me and pulled me into his lap. I was facing him. And..and all he did.."

she was beginning to lose the small amount of control she had left,her voice was shakey and weak.

swallowing, she continued.

"All he did was look me in the eyes, and then... He pulled me into a hug,Kissed my forehead,and leaned ...he whisper...he whispered something in my ear, that I will never forget and that still hurts,and always will.

He said;

"Kagome,I want you to know.I never saw Kikyou when I looked at you, and you became so much more to me. I love you Kagome. Just promise me you won't screw up like i did, don't close yourself off if you care for someone after me. and never give up on your hopes or dreams Kags. you're destined for great things in this world."

"When I looked up at him,he had tears rolling down his cheeks. he said one last thing that night."

By this time Kagome was shaking with the force of her sobs.

He..he told me. "Don't forget me Kagome, Please. and don't come looking for me after tonight."

she stopped and let herself cry for a few moments before she continued on,the hardest part for her,But she wanted them to know. he wasn't alone.

"After he said that, his face relaxed. his arms lost their grip on me and..and he slumped against the looked like he had gone to he.. had."

The two demons moved to embrace her,they didn't need to hear the last had been the ones to find him that way the next morning.

tears flowed freely for the rest of the night as the conversation turned to fond memories of the hanyou.

.xENDx.

AAAnnnnd finally. -_-; this chapter gave me hell,hell i say!  
Hope you enjoyed it.

-Spider. 


	4. 4 days 'til open

For those of you wondering why the long absence... My grandfather passed away a few days ago. He had lung cancer,and was given 4-6 months to live,so I took time away from my story,and did what I could... I am greatly saddened by losing such a wonderful member of my family...but enough of that,I don't want to cry anymore.. so. This spider has returned, and I warn you. Don't expect too much from this chapter. I am just now getting back into writing, and am still mainly distracting myself.

-4 days-

They still hadn't been able to open the chest,though not for lack of trying and Kagome was getting rather frustrated at the newest quirks said chest had developed.

After reminiscing about a certain dog-eared hanyou everyone had gone to bed,godawful cracking and shrieking noises from a probably cursed chest be damned. As a matter of fact,they had all forgotten about said occurence until Sesshoumaru awoke the next morning...

X day 1 X

The morning started off normal,Kagome almost skipping out of bed,in agood mood despite everything And Kouga stumbling down the hallways whining about coffee and why anyone would wake up and decide to skip down a hallway. But the whining trailed to grumbling then to silence as he threw himself on the couch and stretched,staring at the still glowing chunk of doom in front of him. at least,that is what he decided to call the thing..he didn't know what Kags or Sess would want to call it,or why he was even naming it in the first palce...it was a glorified coffee table after all.

And that is when the screaming began. muffled at first,it had started when Sesshoumaru's door opened and closed with a soft when his footsteps became louder, the screams from the chest became as loud.

When he appeared in front of the wolf laying on the couch,the chest had actually let out a skull splitting scream,and rocked itself causing Kouga to jump with a yelp and land on his face behind the couch and Kagome to run in the room thinking someone was dying. And upon entering the room and seeing no one dead she walked up and kicked the chest. only to have it hum,bang,jump around,and much to everyone's annoyance, scream again. Which gave her an idea. Not a very good idea,but still it was something.

"Kouga! Sesshoumaru,Give me hand!"

And with those words,Kagome jumped onto the chest,sitting on it and holding tight. Kouga sighed and jumped on as well, and Sesshoumaru followed suit a couple seconds alter after an eye roll. the chest,however screamed again,and jumped around,managing to buck them all off.

"Was there a point to this,Miko? Or did you just wish to play rodeo? I'm sure the wolf would have let you ride him."

"SESH-urgh,that! I AM GOING TO PRETEND YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!" Kagome yelled as a blush started to stain her cheeks.

"The point of that,was...well, I don't really know..I just wanted to see what it would do."

"And now that you know,Kags?" Asked kouga as he smirked.

"I...well..err...that is...I'm out of ideas."

Sesshoumaru sighed,narrowing his eyes at the wolf and miko before him.

"Perhaps remembering the riddle your grandfather told you would be a good place to start,Miko. Or,if you prefer we could not worry about opening it,and just continue to ride this thing around the living room."

Kouga snickered as Kagome stomped off,doing a rather impressive version of a growl. the rest of the day was spent getting things in order for the shelter to open while ignoring the enigma in the living room and the night went much the same way as the one before it,sharing stories and memories,and drinking tea. It was the next morning that brought the strangeness to light.

x Day 2x

Were the Chest's newly acquired,and peculiar aversion to Sesshoumaru not enough,the energy it was putting off now,something none of them could even begin to name,was beginning to make the resident demons itchy in a literal sense,Causing both kouga and Sesshoumaru a flaky,itchy rash that rather resembled psoriasis.

Kouga only had the rash in two places,the first one being the tips of his ears,and the second being in a rather embarrassing spot at the base of his spine,just an inch or so below his waistband.

Sesshoumaru was'nt so lucky. He had it on his forehead,ears cheeks wrists,hips, ankles, shoulders and a couple places he did'nt even want to think about.

Kagome and a few other workers that had shown up seemed to be immune,or so Sesshoumaru believed,and he should tested it,rubbing the rough scaly patches of skin against anyone within reach. He was slightly disappointed that it didn't catch,but was far more curious as to why it didn't. And why it only got itchier around that chest... He was really starting to hate that thing...

X Day 3 X

If the first and second day hadn't gone badly enough,with newfound rashes and annoying noises,the second day was far worse,with Kouga lapsing into moments where he could no longer speak,but could only whimper,whine or growl occasionally. Kagome had tried to avoid him after the early morning incident of finding Kouga,Unable to speak,dragging his rear across the carpet like a dog to scratch it. it didn't help he was making pathetic whimpering noises at the time.

Sesshoumaru had stayed hidden for most fo the third day,as he had lapsed back into growls and grunts and was doing no better than Kouga when it came to Language issues. Also the scratching,but he wasn't so careless as to get got dragging his butt across the living room floor like a common mutt. No,he rather liked the back scratcher he had swiped when kagome had been looking the other way...

X day 4 X

Possibly the worst of all the days.

Sesshoumarus face was peeling,large chunks of flesh falling away revealing raw new skin beneath. A blue mark on his forehead,barely visible and faint purple lines in various spots that were gradually darkening throughout the day. they still itched. But,it was nothing compared to Kouga,whose scaly skin patches were dropping off to reveal hair. Sesshoumaru had actually choked on tea this morning when Kouga's pants slipped,revealing a dark tuft of fur sticking out of his rear. He hadn't stopped snickering since.

And then,when everything else was making him have to fake cough to hide his laughter,he realised Ginta and hakkaku the two wolves, had begun to lose mass amounts of fur, leaving random bald spots in various patterns across their bodies. He didn't even try to hide his laugh when he saw this,though it had unfortunately distracted him enough for Kagome to come in and catch him with her back scratcher stuffed in his pants.

the day continued on getting worse as large clumps of hair from two balding wolves were found everywhere. Kagome wished this hadn't started happening. Especially at this certain time. after all, they were supposed to open tomorrow! How was she supposed to explain fur clumps,random banging and shrieking noises, and an overly hairy man dragging his butt across the floor to her investor when he came to the opening tomorrow?

Kagome could only bury her face in her hands and hope this was some strange nightmare...

"Why me?"

"Because,Kags...you're lucky." Kouga said, scooting himself across the floor in front of her.

"Kouga...drag your rear across one more carpet in this place,and I will personally give you a flea bath and shave you head to toe."

"Promise?"

"AGHH,I QUIT!"

"no quitting Miko."

"Seshouma-..ohh." Kagome could only gape at the being in front of her, hair once again a shining silver white, Gold eyes glowing like the embers of a fire. And..oh!

...

...xX End Xx

dun dun dunnnn..

Okay, maybe not so..surprizing...little bit of a cliff hanger..maybe? And I am not really happy with this chapter,but hopefully the story will get better as I get back into writing it..more..idk...urgh..

Until next time lovelies.

-Spider.


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